Say what you will about “Gossip Girl” (okay, it’s terrible) but the show has served as a career launching pad of sorts. Blake Lively is currently making most of her exposure on the show landing some decent movie gigs (“The Town,” Oliver Stone‘s “Savages“); Taylor Momsen has fashioned some sort of music career no one would otherwise care about, while it’s only a matter of time before Leighton Meester finds her groove into the big time and is on her way after scoring a hit earlier this year with “The Roommate.” Which brings us pretty boy and master of Brown Steel (see above) Ed Westwick. He seems to be moving his way up in the world, nabbing a small part in Clint Eastwood‘s “J. Edgar” and is now getting ready bust his iambic pentameter on our faces (that sounds gross) in a Shakespeare film.

Variety reports that Westwick will take the role of Tybalt yet another version of “Romeo & Juliet” this time starring “True Grit” breakout star Hailee Steinfeld (as Juliet) and Holly Hunter as The Nurse. This latest incarnation will be directed by Carlo Carlie who is probably best known for 1993’s “Flight of the Innocent,” but who also directed the 1995 ghost dog movie “Fluke.” On the plus side, the film has a script by Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park,” “Downton Abbey”) so yeah, this could go either way at this point.

Filming will start this summer in Italy which sounds like a pretty nice vacation.